Victorian Ceramic Wine Jug, Elizabeth Atkins, Doulton Lambeth, London, 1876

Here we have a striking Victorian Stoneware Jug from Doulton Lambeth. The jug has a circular foot, a bulbous body with leaf and flower decoration, a curved handle with flowers down its length and a banded neck decorated with a mask of Bacchus, the Greek god of wine and revelry. Although the Bacchus mask indicates that this is a wine jug it could be used for water or any drink on the dining table, would look great as a vase or could simply be a decorative piece in its own right. The jug was made by Doulton at their Lambeth factory in London and dates to 1876. It was decorated by artist Elizabeth Atkins assisted by Eleanor Burrell. Elizabeth Atkins was one of the extraordinarily talented group of artists gathered by Sir Henry Doulton in Lambeth and was among the earliest, joining around 1876, just a couple of years after the famous Barlow sisters started working there. She remained at Doulton for over 20 years. Eleanor Burrell was a senior assistant who worked at Doulton from the mid 1870s to the mid 1880s. Condition is good with no chips or cracks. A few of the little white beads that decorate the body have been lost over the course of time, probably during cleaning. Please make sure to view all the photographs as these form part of the description. The wine jug stands 17.8cm / 7ins high and is 11cm / 4.3ins in diameter. It weighs in at 802g / 28.3oz. The marks on the underside of the base have the circular Doulton Lambeth stamp with the date 1876 inside it, the EA mark for Elizabeth Atkins and the b in a circle mark for senior assistant Eleanor Burrell.